Having been in the US Navy, I am well aware of the world’s navies being steeped in tradition and lore. Sometimes those tales are well founded. Willie, aka skiwillgee The coroner said it was a massive heart attack but Captain Riddick of the 74 foot schooner “Southwinds” knew better. Riddick had been hired to deliver the “Southwinds” to its new owner 400 miles on the other side of the Cape. There was no rush to do it. With the aid of modern technology and weather predictions, he waited 5 weeks until the weather outlook was most promising. Rounding the cape turned out to be just as unpredictable as ever though. A cold fog, heavy seas and brisk wind came on without warning. Ned, his longtime friend and mate, was frantic with keeping the sails trimmed. What happened next Riddick would never forget. Ned screamed, “Look! Look there in the clouds! It’s a ship!” It was a frightening sight. More frightening was seeing Ned’s body slump to the deck and, I swear, seeing Ned’s soul lift upwards to the ship. Riddick turn his gaze away from the scene, fearing he also would be swept up to join the crew of the Flying Dutchman. "The Legend of the Flying Dutchman Captain Hendrik van der Decken had just offloaded his cargo in Cape Town and was anxious to get back to sea again in his ship, the Flying Dutchman. His crew, however, begged to stay in port, as the weather was turning foul and they were scared to sail in the dangerous Cape waters in such conditions. Van der Decken would not listen and he sailed out of Cape Town straight into a hurricane. For days he fought against the elements, even lashing himself to the wheel, so that he would not be swept overboard. His crew pleaded with him to turn back, but he would not listen. He was like a madman – pitching his small vessel against the mighty storm. He cursed God, saying that even He could not make him change his mind and swore that he would sail on until he met the ends of the earth. As he said this, the storm seemed to instantly die down and a ghost appeared on the ship. All the crew instantly fell down dead, but van der Decken fired his gun at the figure. His arm immediately withered and became useless. The ship glowed a red color and disappeared forever into the storm. The legend says that the Flying Dutchman continues to sail forever, as a ghost ship, trying still to sail around the Cape of Storms. Over the years many people claim to have seen the Flying Dutchman off our shores, but no sensible captains will take their ship near the ghostly ship, because they believe that something terrible will happen aboard their ship if they do. One of the most interesting sightings was made by the King George V of England, when he was a crewman aboard the HMS Bacchante in 1881. The sighting was even recorded in the ship’s log and tells how the ghostly ship seemed to glow red and how they could make out all her masts, spars and sails. When the HMS Bacchante sailed closer, the vision seemed to disappear – like a mirage – and the sea was unnaturally calm in that spot. Later that day, the crewman who had first reported the ghostly sighting, fell to his death from the crow’s nest. Another sighting that bears out this story occurred in 1939 when hundreds of people saw the ship off the coast of False Bay. It appeared to be sailing towards the shore at Muizenberg and seemed likely to end up on the beach... Then suddenly it vanished! Many people were convinced that it was the ghost of the Flying Dutchman, still trying to sail round the Cape of Storms." From: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0126236/myths_and_legends.htm